Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Die Zauberflöte

THE 270th ANNIVERSARY OF W. A. MOZART’S BIRTH

★★★★★

   Mozart's operatic works as a collection occupy a privileged place in the history of the genre. The composer's genius was fully reflected here, the same as in his symphonies, concertos, chamber works and religious music. Over the course of his creative life, the composer changed his attitude to existing operatic forms, combining various tendencies and opposing solutions to achieve the classical form of opera as a synthesis of the genre in his latest operas. Composed in 1787 Don Giovanni to the libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte is one of most recognized Mozart's achievements. In this dramma giocoso one can notice the unique results of combining opera buffa and opera seria. His last operas are opera seria La clemenza di Tito composed in 1791 to libretto by Pietro Metastasio and Caterino Mazzolà and Singspiel Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), composed the same year to libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. Collaboration with outstanding librettists allowed him to establish formal assumptions that remained fresh for many decades, becoming the foundation of formal solutions used by Romantic composers.
   Mozart's operas have another feature that should not escape the attention of a sensitive listener. The means by which Mozart enhances the dramatic expression and illustrates the attitudes and aspirations of the characters constitute a constantly expanding catalog of means of classical music. This is an important element of semantics after the abandonment of baroque system of musical rhetoric. And although each of later composers chose the means of expression more or less individually, Mozart's works are so clear that they can be a great way to penetrate the world of musical meanings. While instrumental music remains an abstraction up to a certain point, the semantic framework of every opera is the libretto. The Enlightenment ideas present in the dramatic work of librettists determine the situation in which in Mozart's operas we receive a fundamental set of musical semantic means. The 22 opera works composed by Mozart, ranging from simple singspiels to complex operas, are a mirror reflecting both the era of Viennese classicism and the extraordinary path of innovation of the brilliant composer. The eight operas that Mozart composed in the last decade of his life have permanently entered the repertoire of world operas.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Die Zauberflöte (1986)

   The position of Magic Flute, Mozart's last opera, is a phenomenon that can only be understood as the result of the creator's brilliant intuition. From the point of view of form, it is a singspiel. On the symbolic level, it is a lecture on the Masonic vision of the world, the system of values ​​and the role played in it by aware and properly prepared individuals. Behind the simple, uncomplicated form of the Singspiel, behind the fairy-tale story of love that overcomes adversity, there is an interesting explanation of Masonic ritual and symbolism. To save Pamina, Prince Tamino undergoes tests of silence, fire and water, and finally is initiated into the temple of wisdom. This opera can be perceived at the same time as a children's fairy tale and as a philosophical parable. All this makes it one of the most popular works in the history of the genre, both in stage productions and on phonographic releases.
   The series of major recordings of The Magic Flute begins with the Berliner Philharmoniker recording of 1937, conducted by Beecham. Later came post-war recordings: a live recording from Salzburg conducted by Furtwängler in 1949, and a Viennese recording by Karajan published the following year. It's also worth mentioning the very interesting Roman recording from 1953 conducted by Karajan and sung in Italian. In 1954, Fricsay recorded The Magic Flute for Deutsche Grammophon. Ten years later, in 1964 two great performnces were issued at almost simultaneously: Klemperer’s rendition for EMI, and Böhm’s for Deutsche Grammophon. The following decade brought recordings conducted by Suitner (ETERNA 1970), Sawallisch (EMI 1973), and Karajan (DG 1980). It would be difficult to single out the best performance—each is unique in its own way. Any work of genius can be interpreted in many ways. At the center of this balance between classical approaches and more contemporary visions of Mozart's music is The Magic Flute, recorded in 1984 as a co-production between the German label Eterna and the Dutch company Phonogram International B.V. The recordings were made at the Lucaskirche in Dresden with German musicians. That same year, the three-disc album was released under the Philips label in the Netherlands. In 1986, Eterna released a Direct Metal Mastering version of the album for the East German market.
   The artistic value and the quality of pressing make this edition is still in great demand, even despite the passage of 40 years. This is because the recording conducted by Colin Davis can be considered exemplary in many respects, achieving a balance between dramatic elements and classical form. Two words come to mind when describing the fundamental characteristics of this recording: elegance and simplicity. Davis conducts the Staatskapelle Dresden in a manner far from routine, yet resists natural emotion, resulting in a greater subtlety of sound and a richness of orchestral color. Against the backdrop of a vivid, balanced orchestra, the solo parts of the characters, sung and spoken, build a familiar fairytale narrative, revealing additional meanings and significance. Among the stars of this recording are Kurt Moll (Sarastro), Luciana Serra (Queen of the Night), Margaret Price (Pamina), Peter Schreier (Tamino), Mikael Melbye (Papageno), and Maria Venuti (Papagena), as well as Theo Adami and Armin Ude (priests) and many more. Ultimately, this recording is a compelling story about character development and the maturation of values. Highly recommended with the highest possible rating – a full complement of stars.

E. T. A. Hoffmann – Die lustigen Musikanten

THE 250th ANNIVERSARY OF E. T. A. HOFFMANN’S BIRTH

★★★★✰

   E.T.A. Hoffmann was born on January 24, 1776, in Königsberg. The capital of East Prussia was a port city with rich traditions dating back to the times of the state of the Teutonic Order and its affiliation with the Hansa. From its founding in 1255, thanks to external security and vibrant trade relations, city of Königsberg quickly achieved a prominent position among the centers of European civilization. This city with its famous Castle and Albertina University became the place where Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann was born and raised.
   Raised within the influence of Königsberg University and social ideas shaped by university lectures by Immanuel Kant and first readings of the Sturm und Drang poets, the future composer viewed the world from a universalist perspective. Cultural diversity was a natural state of mind, and questions of identity did not occupy his attention. He focused rather on individual freedom and the creative calling of individuals. As a writer, he opened new creative perspectives, paving the way for fantasy literature. As a composer he created in the style of his era, although despite technical adherence to the models of the classical Viennese School, his compositions reveal some signs of the emerging Romanticism. Stage works are particularly important from this point of view, and the fantasy opera Undine (composed in 1816) should be considered the first romantic opera.

E. T. A. Hoffmann – Die lustigen Musikanten (1984)

   The Singspiel "Die lustige Musikanten" (The Merry Musicians) is the composer's second work for stage. The first was the Singspiel "Die Maske," composed by Hoffmann in 1799 to his own libretto. Five years after The Mask, the 28-year-old composer composed music for a two-act play by Clemens von Brentano. The premiere, prepared by a theatre company in Warsaw led by Wojciech Bogusławski, took place on April 5, 1805. The composer was not yet known, and the play, despite favorable reviews, had a very short run. Four years later Hoffmann hoped to re-stage his Singspiel in Bamberg, but he discovered that the orchestral parts had disappeared. They were discovered in Warsaw several years after the composer's death.
   Premiere recording of excerpts from this work was published in 1984 by Schwann Musica Mundi in Germany. The selection includes three instrumental pieces: Overture, Interlude (Zwischenaktmusik), and Prelude to Act II, as well as eight pieces: arias, duets, and ensembles featuring the principal performers. Sopranos Verena Schweizer (Fabiola) and Judith Schmidt (Azelle), bass Klaus Lang (Piast), and tenor Thomas Schulze (Ramiro) provided a solid interpretation of the text and a balanced performance of the score. Four soloists perfectly fit this short version of Hoffmann’s composition. Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin conducted by Lothar Zagrosek sounds with pleasant and clear spectrum. The recording made on August 23-25, 1983 at Jesus-Christus-Kirche in Berlin and pressed in direct metal mastering technology gives readable and clear sound. This recording is an important addition to the still not enough rich catalogue of recordings of E. T. A. Hoffmann's music.